How to Make Wine From Canned Fruit

By Linda Harris

The main difference when making wine from canned fruit as opposed to using fresh fruit is that if canned fruit is preserved in syrup, you won’t need to use as much sugar. For fruit packed in water, however, use the same amount of sugar as you would for fresh fruit. You can use canned apricots, pears, nectarines or peaches. Bear in mind that the smell and taste of the wine will be different from standard wine made from fresh fruit.

Things You'll Need

19 fl. oz. canned fruit

1 gallon water

1 lb. sugar

1 packet yeast

Yeast nutrient

Pectic enzyme

1 tsp. citric acid

½ tsp. tannin

Bowl

Saucepan

Wooden spoon

Container with airlock for fermenting

Sieve

Wine bottles

Mash the fruit and reserve the syrup. Put the mashed fruit into a bowl.

Put 2 qts. of water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the sugar and malt extract and let it dissolve. Pour this liquid over the mashed fruit and let it cool. Remember to use less sugar if you are using fruit preserved in syrup.

Add the pectic enzyme, tannin and acid; stir. Cover the liquid and leave to sit for 24 hours. Pour the reserved syrup into a container and add the liquid with the fruit; stir well.

Add the yeast and yeast nutrient and stir, then add water so that the container is almost full. Leave the container in a cool, dark place for 10 days; stir once a day.

Strain the liquid through a sieve into another container with an airlock. After two months, taste the wine to see if it needs more sugar. Do this again after another two months. After six months pour the wine into bottles and fix corks on them. Leave for another six months before drinking. The wine should be stored at a temperature of 50 to 60 degrees F.

Tips

The additives in canned fruit can sometimes interfere with the fermentation process. Check the labels to see if the fruit contains benzoate or potassium sorbate; if it does it will not ferment.

Ensure that all the containers and equipment you use are thoroughly sanitized, as failure to do this can affect fermentation.

If your wine has an unpleasant taste or smell, discard it immediately, as this could be caused by a bacterial infection. If there is an eggy smell, this might be due to the presence of high levels of sulphites. This can be resolved by dissolving 1 Campden tablet per gallon in the wine.